


The Life Giver [untouched]

by Jammy



Category: Neopets
Genre: 'cause there was cute babies in it??, Angst, Babies, Birth, Childbirth, Comfort, F/F, Friendship, Love, M/M, aha you thought there wasn't gonna be angst in this didya?, well guess what you're WRONG
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-22
Updated: 2017-03-22
Packaged: 2018-10-09 05:20:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10404816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jammy/pseuds/Jammy
Summary: It wasn't really common that someone would come and ask Kanrik if they could tag along and partake/watch in his unusual side-job. Especially not the Gelert Assassin, and maybe that's why he's feeling a little bit like a nervous wreck even when he's not supposed to.No....no, it was something else. But what?





	

**Author's Note:**

> It's rare that I find good stories in my email--and it's even rare-r that I find a FINISHED good story. 
> 
> I wrote this one ages ago in my email but got a little flustered to post it because it was back when I didn't even mention Kanrik's 'midwife hobby'. But since I already posted two stories that mention it, why not add to the pile n' stuff. So here, I think I've only mentioned it to Tea and---uuh--someone else, that Jenner had asked Kanrik if he could tag along on one or two trips. The thief's not against it, but he's a little reluctant to say yes at first. 
> 
> Oh, I added 'untouched' because this stuff was just sitting in my email untouched for MONTHS.
> 
> Soooo, yeah, enjoy.

Kanrik was nervous, very much so.

 

 

It wasn’t a good time to be nervous, not when he had a job to do.

 

 

It was just a few weeks ago when Jenner had came up to Kanrik and asked him personally if it was alright to join him whenever he was to go assist in a delivery. It was a very….strange request, at least to the thief it was. Jenner had gone through a very traumatic loss, losing his wife and child during childbirth and honestly that was what made Kanrik very hesitant to talk to him about what he does or having children of his own. The young rogue had asked, multiple times, if Jenner was absolutely certain and every single time the grey gelert would answer, it was straight forward as the last, a devoted ‘yes’. Jenner said that he wants to watch, only if the mother and the family there were comfortable with it of course but that was the least of Kanrik’s problems. He was more concerned of the assassin’s well being, a birth was a very long process and he was afraid that Jenner would have a mental break of some kind and rush out. If Jenner had to then it was completely understandable, but it worried Kanrik because under no circumstances was he to leave the mother by herself, so if something _**were**_ to happen then his friend would have to wait.

 

Almost three weeks since the two gelerts have had their discussion a family friend of Kanrik’s came to him requesting for aid in her very first child’s delivery. Kanrik agreed, ‘Absolutely! I would love to, Ellie.’ the thief brought Jenner to Ellie and her wife at their home the very next day to introduce them to each other and explain that his friend was a healer who was interested in watching the event. They all got along fairly well and they even all bonded over the fact that each of them were born and raised in Market Town [well, not Kanrik, he wasn’t born and raised there but he was relieved that they all got along]. To stay fairly close to the family so it was easier to contact him, Kanrik remained the next few days in his Brightvale studio—Jenner, along with him. Which was actually a good thing, Jenner had finally got around to helping Kanrik tidy up the messy apartment to rid of all the dried paint that had baked itself into the tables or the floor. They organized his finish pieces and work-in-progresses, and whatever failed monstrosities were lying about they found a way to dispose of them or turn them into something else. Three days after they both had talked to Ellie and her wife they received a frantic messenger saying that it was finally time.

 

The very moment they walked through the door Kanrik took off his coat and handed it to Jenner without even looking at him, out of sheer habit he guesses. He then turned to a few frantic maids and ordered one to get a bowl of cool water and the other to get towels, the last servant he ordered to bring them both to the mother and so she led them. Upon hurrying up the staircase Kanrik tried to focus on the task at hand, he pretended that this was just a normal delivery and he was there by himself, it was hard to think like that though. He was nervous, not because Jenner was breathing down his neck or anything—no, Jenner was giving him enough space but….he can’t really place it….

 

– – – – – –

 

Jenner knew that Kanrik was nervous since the very moment he had asked the thief to let him watch the next time he was to deliver a baby, even when he had got to meet the new mothers he saw it in the young gelert’s face that he was worried. Well, he never told Kanrik the complete story of how he had lost his wife and child—but he knew that was the very reason the young rogue almost refused to let him stick around.

 

Since the last time that Kanrik had spoke to him about wanting children, the last time he had seen the thief’s green eyes glisten at the mere delight of holding a small child in his arms Jenner decided: he wants to get better. For his sake, of course, but also for Kanrik. He didn’t want to admit it to the thief but he thought that he was keeping Kanrik away from making a family of his own—from having children. Jenner had went through his library and brought out the dust covered books that he and his wife had kept long that talked about childbearing and all that, he had read them more than once, he wrote little notes in his journals (out of habit), and made a trip or two to his friends who had children already. Well, mostly Máiréad and Nickolas because they were not only his closest friends but yes, they had children of their own and he knew they wouldn’t pry him with nonsense questions after he ask his. Máiréad only asked questions of her own—because she was insulted that Jenner might have forgotten that he was there for the birth of his niece, but he insisted more than once he was asking questions to put in his journal to keep for later. Nickolas didn’t ask any questions, he was so used to having intruding inquiries from his occupation of being a cleric. When Jenner brought up the conversation with him Nickolas had already knew what Jenner’s questions were and so all that the assassin had to do was just listen and write down the information.

 

While staying with Kanrik at his small studio he brought up the notion that they can finally get the place all tidy, not only it would be a good way to get Kanrik’s mind off of being so nervous but also they can finally communicate without having those awkward long moments of silence. It works, while cleaning Kanrik and Jenner would tease the other, joke and just talk about art and other things. And then the messenger arrives.

 

While heading back towards Ellie and Zapora’s estates again the nervousness returns, in the carriage the thief is fumbling with nothing in his hands and keeping his gaze to the outside world. It seems to vanish the very instant that they walk through the door though. To Jenner’s surprise Kanrik whips off his coat and hands it to him without even looking, the thief orders a few servants to fetch him supplies and upon descending the staircase the thief stretches his shoulders and rolls his sleeves up past the elbows. Jenner’s surprised because sure, Kanrik was the leader of the thieves guild—but he never _**saw**_ Kanrik act like a natural born leader before.

 

Ellie the young royal zafara was accompanied by her wife, a stoic looking royal lupess named Zapora. Of course, when Kanrik and Jenner had entered the room with the servant the one who was in most distress wasn’t Ellie at all, it was Zapora. The young lupess looked as white as the bed sheets and demanded angrily to know what took the two so long to get there. Instead of getting defensive however, Kanrik just laughs softly and apologizes sincerely to the wife—to Jenner’s outermost surprise. Usually the thief doesn’t take so kindly to people yelling at him and so he would make a snarky comment back in spite, but he doesn’t, he apologizes and hurriedly makes his way to Ellie to help her while Jenner he stands off to the side to watch.

 

He’s not an artist unfortunately, but Jenner jots down whatever he sees the young gelert before him do. He notes how and where on Ellie’s stomach Kanrik positions his hands to know just where the baby is, he adds his own little notes after the mother tells Kanrik that the pains started just under three hours ago but gradually got ‘worse’ recently, and how far apart the pains were—he makes a little guess as to how long this might take. Jenner wasn’t allowed in the same room as his wife when they were readying for their child, so the very first time he had seen anything like this was when Máiréad was giving birth to his niece and it would be a gross understatement if he said that he was nervous then. Jenner resisted the urge to smile because the frantic gestures and panicked expression coming from Zapora whenever her wife groaned during a contraction or began to breathe heavily was exactly how he reacted when he was with Máiréad. But now, Jenner was curious more than anything else—well, curious, and amazed. For being so young Kanrik knew a lot about all this, the thief estimated that it would still be close to two more hours before Ellie could start pushing, he suggested that she could walk around the room for a little while to help speed up the process.

 

Without even looking over Kanrik explains to Jenner that laying down would only make the labor harder by prolonging it, gravity helps bring the child down. Ellie agrees to walking and with the help of Kanrik and Zapora she stands up and they hold on to her as she takes small steps back and forth, stopping once a contraction hits. They go on for almost an hour and Kanrik then has Ellie sit on the edge of the bed, he gives Zapora the task of wiping her wife’s face with a towel covered in cool water while he massages the mother’s lower back and stomach when more frequent contractions hit. When Ellie begins to scream and gasp Kanrik murmurs words of encouragement and praise, he rests one hand on her lower back again and smiles excitedly telling the mother that the baby was coming and it was time to start pushing. Zapora insists that Ellie should lie back in bed but Ellie states that her lower back hurts too much to go back to bed, she wants to stand instead.

 

Jenner looks at Kanrik to see his reaction, he’s never heard of a mother delivering her child by standing before but the thief isn’t worried in the least—actually—he helps the mother up onto her feet and take two steps away from the bed, then calls for Jenner to bring him one of the wooden chairs from the other side of the room. Jenner sets his journal down hurriedly and grabs one of the wooden chairs from besides the master bedroom’s fireplace, with a quick thank you Kanrik turns the chair around so that the back rest faced the young mother and he has her lean against it, while he gets behind her and onto his knees urging her to push. The assassin and Zapora both glanced at each other with worry once after a few pushes Ellie just...stopped, she writhed against the pain and began to sob but she didn’t push. Kanrik remained calm and his demeanor changed when he sternly told her to push, even when Ellie sobbed that it hurt so much, he told her that he knows but pushing will stop the pain. He guided her to a few more contractions and pushes and then finally the child came, Zapora had to catch her wife from falling backwards and she helped her sit on the edge of the bed with happy sobbing and giggling. Kanrik flipped the child so that it rested against his arm and he gently patted it’s back in between it’s shoulder’s, his smile growing when the child began to wail. It was a boy.

 

Jenner breathes a sigh of relief and he reaches for his journal again and looks at the clock on the wall, it had been five hours since he and Kanrik arrived to their home, well, that was two hours shorter than he thought this would end—he marks it down, and makes note that it was a boy as well. With the servants helping the mother into bed and cleaning up, Kanrik walks over to a basin on the other side of the room and begins to clean the baby. Jenner follows, just to see how it was done. The thief laughs a little when he carefully holds the infant in the basin and the little baby flails his arms making large splashes.

 

“It’s alright little one, it’s alright.” Kanrik coos softly, using a small rag dipped in the water to wash the baby’s face and tiny limbs. “Even if this water is warm to us, it’s not as warm as it was inside his momma.” he chuckles softly, a sigh escaping him immediately after as he begins to wash the boy’s hair and realize that the baby is finally settling down. “So, how are ya holding up Jenry?”

 

“I’m fine.” Jenner finally answers unable to resist the urge to reach in and allow the infant to grab his finger, the royal boy zafara was quite adorable even though he didn’t look so thrilled to be getting his very first bath. “I should be asking you, you did more work than me here.” Kanrik shrugs his shoulders nonchalantly and when he was done, lifts the baby out of the basin to put a clean cloth diaper on him and wrap him up in a new blanket. Ellie and her wife cried happy tears once they were able to hold their son, Ellie thanked Kanrik over and over but the thief just shook his head and said that it was the least he can do. Jenner couldn’t believe his eyes, he’s known Kanrik for a very long time and just about every minute this gelert is sarcastic, witty and just a teaser. But here, he’s humble, mature, and it’s the strangest thing because he’s sort of….quiet. Not the usual ‘I’m quiet so I can look mysteriously handsome’ sort of quiet. He seems almost…shy.

 

The servants ask both Kanrik and Jenner if they wanted to stay and have something to eat since it was already in the late evening, or maybe if they wanted a glass of wine or some water before they head out but Kanrik, again, shakes his head no and thanks them for the hospitality. He walks up to Ellie and tells her to send him letters for the next few weeks so that he can stay posted with their well-being before bidding her a good night. Jenner follows Kanrik even when Zapora stands up from the touching moment with her wife and son to walk them out.

 

“Master Arlen,” Zapora finally pipes up after they had walked into the hallway, the young royal Lupess stands tall and proud as she gives Kanrik a sincere nod. “I’d like to thank you for helping us, and I’m sorry if I was acting—off.”

 

“It’s quite alright Zapora, you had more than enough reason to be anxious in this situation.” Kanrik says smiling at Jenner who, right now, has his arms crossed over his chest and smiling a very impressed smile. The assassin couldn’t help it, he was actually intrigued at the fact Kanrik was acting so mature and understanding about all of this, even if, yes, Kanrik has been doing this sort of thing for a very long time. “I’d like to thank you for having me here, and for letting my friend assist as well.”

 

“Well, I was ‘watching’ more than ‘assisting’, but I agree. Thank you so much for having me.” Jenner finally pipes in chuckling when Kanrik teasingly nudges his arm with his shoulder. Zapora is smiling a little larger now, maybe realizing just how close these two are—or maybe the moment of her becoming a mother was finally sinking in and she was now beaming with pride.

 

“Absolutely, I wouldn’t wish for anyone else to be here. If you follow me to my office I will give you your pay--”

 

“No thank you.” Zapora shuts her mouth in pure shock and again, Jenner is also stunned to a silence. Kanrik just smiles some more, turning around to grab his coat from one of the servants that had grabbed it from Jenner when they walked in hours earlier and began to put it on. “I don’t accept any form of payment for doing this, Ellie is a good friend to my family and I was just helping.”

 

“Well I must give you _something_ , Master Arlen. I think you deserve some kind of payment.” she huffs and Kanrik pauses for a moment and shrugs his shoulders, telling her that the letters she sends to him about Ellie and their son’s whereabouts were his form of payment. “I don’t understand but...I will respect your wishes, Arlen. I thank you again for everything you’ve done for us today.” the thief smiles largely at her once again and pats Jenner on the shoulder to let him know that it was time to go. It was already night when they got outside and they walked in silence, the street lit up by the candles in the light posts and the air chilled with the late breeze, it was after a few minutes that Kanrik had realized that Jenner was watching him closely….or rather, very attentively. The thief lets out a small short laugh, unable to mask the anxiety hiding in it.

 

“Why are you staring at me like that?”

 

“What did you do with Kanrik?” Jenner teases leaning over to pretend that he was trying to look at the thief right in the eyes, Kanrik lets out another nervous chuckle and tries to turn away as if to hide himself and his reddening face. “The _**real**_ Kanrik? Because I don’t _ever_ recall Kanrik being mature, commanding or shy.”

 

“I’m _**not**_ shy.” the thief mutters giving his friend a hard shove, half to regain some space but mostly to prove the fact. Of course, the shove meant nothing but make the assassin stand straighter once again.

 

“Well _**I**_ certainly know Kanrik, and he wouldn’t turn down money.” Jenner comments with a laugh, Kanrik laughs as well but something in his voice didn’t sound the same as they usually do. They sounded hollow…fake. The young rogue kept walking, his eyes trailing to the little bits of loose pebbles from the street that his feet kicked and now, now Jenner was getting a little nervous.

 

“This is a different occasion, I guess.”

 

“Pray tell.” Kanrik looks up at the assassin who’s gaze didn’t falter from him, instead, he might’ve started to observe him even more now that he’s seeing that there’s something on Kanrik’s mind. “Cadhla...” Jenner pauses, “My wife and I, when we were expecting our child—we had a midwife but, well, they didn’t really visit our home. And they surely demanded the payment up front.”

 

“That’s horrible.” Kanrik hisses with a twisted face, he’s never heard of midwives that were demanding the payment up front _before_ the child was born, that should’ve been a red flag for the new parents but he guesses that maybe...maybe they just didn’t know better. It’s sad, but… “Look, I know a few other midwives that do this for a living. It’s reasonable that they get paid for this, but not me. That’s not my style.”

 

“That doesn’t make any sense,” Jenner mutters still unconvinced. “Why don’t you want to get paid for something like this?”

 

“Other people need the money more than I do…” Kanrik sighs and again his eyes fall to the floor, his feet are still kicking loose pebbles from the street and to Jenner it’s starting to feel like the thief is now beginning to avoid him. “Not that I care others are being paid for this, I already have a decent job--” he chuckles genuinely to shrug his shoulders and wave a hand, “--not morally decent, but decently paid job I should say. I guess…nicer people who are a little more chivalrous like giving life should be paid nice, I’m not a nice person so that draws me out of the question.” Kanrik looks up again seeing the bewildered expression plastered on Jenner’s face but instead of commenting anything else he just shrugs yet again. “If, any of that made sense to you then I’ll be shocked.”

 

“So you’re telling me that the reason you don’t want to be paid is because you’re not…” Jenner feigns a gasp as he places a hand to his chest in mock shock. “…a nice person? Why that’s the silliest thing I’ve heard--”

 

“Shut up.” Kanrik mutters though the tone behind his remark actually sounded sharp, Jenner decides that this was not the time to be teasing him even further, usually they would tease and throw threats and comments back and forth until finally someone gives in with a laugh or a frustrated huff but something feels odd in this atmosphere. Jenner focuses more on the thief’s eyes and he’s shocked to see that they’re actually starting to look a little more glazed.

 

“Do you...always feel this sad whenever you help someone, Kani?”

 

“What? No, I—I’m not sad.”

 

“Then tell me what’s wrong, why does this trip feel different then the others?” Kanrik is impressed, or maybe, he should’ve seen it coming. Jenner was just as good—or even better, at reading emotions and people than he was. Maybe he should’ve told himself to remain more calm before all of this but he was worried, about Jenner, about Ellie, about her baby there was just so many factors going through his mind and now he just feels that if he can say the truth then it was enough to just stop feeling so…guilty.

 

“I don’t know, I guess because I didn’t know what to expect in this trip.” the thief looks up from the ground finally and stops walking so that he can see the stray stars that are twinkling in the sky above them, Jenner stops as well, turning his gaze to the sky and then back to the young rogue besides him. The emotion on Kanrik’s face is genuine, and somehow...pure. “The reason why I don’t charge anyone for these, is because it was something I grew up with—I was taught by the others in my village that this was something fathers did for their children when they’re born. To share intimacy, not something to get paid for. And, well, by the time that I was a teenager and I had come across instances where people in the guild were having children and couldn’t afford help I…thought that until I can start my own family, this was something I can do to help them. My mother, my uncles, my sisters—they all have helped people in the past. And here I was, the one who broke the law.” Kanrik shrugs his shoulders again, “Well, I’ve come a long way now I like to think. I don’t care what anyone else thinks about how I live, but, it breaks my heart knowing that somewhere there’s terrified parents out there who needs help and feel alone in a time where they’re supposed to be happy and excited. Rich or poor. No one should never feel alone in times like this, y’know?”

 

“Yes. I do.” the assassin answers and though it was odd, he really couldn’t find himself to look away from his dear friend. If only he knew just how much he meant to all of those families he’s helped, not just as a midwife but as a man who was helping others on the street—giving them new homes and jobs among the guild. He was right, being a thief wasn’t morally gaining but helping others at their lowest point is, or worse, when they are at their most vulnerable. Jenner didn’t even know that he had reached over and grabbed Kanrik’s hand until the thief looks over at him with a surprised expression on his face, his eyes trail down to their entwined fingers and he gives them a reassuring squeeze. “I think…it’s a truly wonderful thing that there’s someone like you who does this for a living. Because I wouldn’t want anyone to suffer the same way that I have.”

 

“I’m sorry.” Kanrik says suddenly and though Jenner has a ghost of a smile on his muzzle the thief shakes his head sadly and looks away, “Look I…you haven’t told me of what happened to your wife and child but—and it’s stupid to think this—but if there was a way to go into the past and fix all of that, I’ll trade my very life to do it. You didn’t deserve to go through that, you—your wife—it’s wrong, it’s—it’s not fair!”

 

“Kani.” the assassin had to wrap his arms around Kanrik’s slightly smaller frame just so he can keep himself from falling into his negative thoughts, though it kind of astounds him that Kanrik is clearly bothered by what happened. He has no reason to, he wasn’t there, he doesn’t even know who Cadhla is but just hearing the very little of what Jenner did bother sharing once or twice that he had bugged the older gelert into telling him he was still very sympathetic. It was weird sure, but….well he can’t really explain it either. Kanrik slowly raised his arms up to wrap around Jenner’s shoulders after just standing motionless for a few painful seconds, the young rogue buried his face into Jenner’s neck and takes a few shaky breaths of air and the assassin gets a little stiff. “Please don’t start crying over this--”

 

“Shut. Up.” he can finally let out another laugh because this time the thief actually sounded like his old snarky self, though the thief doesn’t let go he takes another—and a little more stabled—breath of air and rubs his face against Jenner’s turtleneck. “I’m not fucking crying, you asshole.”

 

“If you say so.” the two are silent for a little more, the crisp cold air lingering around them with the slight breeze making the metal signs on their posts screech gently at the shop’s windows. A few loose leaves tumble by their ankles as the wind blows, Jenner takes the moment to enjoy the messy locks of dark hair get caressed by said wind and the purely blissful expression on the thief’s face. Jenner reaches up to let his fingertips curl among those tufts and then he—wait, wait a minute. What the fuck, did he actually just fall asleep? It was almost too hard to refrain his laughter, this was an absolute first—Kanrik, the leader of thieves: falling asleep standing up. What should he have expected? The rogue had always used him as a pillow whenever they had fallen asleep together in a bed, he shouldn’t be that surprised that the thief could use him as a pillow standing up and falling asleep that way. Still, he can’t help but admire the oddity in it all. Jenner shakes his head with another burst of chuckles and he slowly slips out of Kanrik’s grip then quickly, and carefully, scoops the thief up into his arms bridal style before continuing down the empty streets of Brightvale. He debated with himself a few times on the walk to Kanrik’s apartment about getting a carriage but whenever he would hear the very soft sigh-like snores coming from the thief and look down just in time to witness the soft nuzzle Kanrik would make to his neck he quickly abandoned the thought. He was head-over heels for his little mischievous thief…his little modest life giver.


End file.
